Q&A Hero

Q: How did immigrants and native-born people compare in terms of family in the late nineteenth century? a. Immigrants married earlier than native-born people and, as a result, had more children. b. Immigrant families had fewer children than native-born families, mostly because they lived in cramped tenements that could not support large families. c. Immigrants tended to marry later and have more children than native-born people. d. Immigrant families were usually headed by single women, whereas native-born families tended to be nuclear families. e. Immigrants married much earlier than native-born people, and also tended to die at much earlier ages.

Q: In the case of Dred Scott v. Sandford, __________. a. a slave owner sued for damages because he was beaten severely by an abolitionist b. a slave owner sued for damages because abolitionists helped his slaves c. a slave sued for damages because he was beaten severely by a white owner d. an escaped slave sued for his freedom because he was caught in a free territory e. a slave sued on the grounds that he had lived in a free state and so he should be a free man

Q: Many Americans believed high tariffs would __________. a. enhance America's image abroad b. prevent competition from foreign goods c. meet the demands of American farmers d. prevent political differences from arising e. take money out of their own pockets

Q: The one American who, more than anyone else, symbolized the spirit of the Enlightenment was __________. a. Jonathan Edwards b. George Washington c. Cotton Mather d. George Whitefield e. Benjamin Franklin

Q: As a result of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, __________. a. segregation in the South ended almost immediately b. the slow process of desegregating schools began c. the civil rights movement ended quietly d. African American students were fully accepted by white teachers e. African Americans could finally be teachers in the South

Q: Why did the nation's progressives oppose U.S. involvement in World War I? a. They were naturally pessimistic and knew the United States would lose. b. They understood how financially costly the war would be for the nation. c. They did not believe the reports sent over from Europe. d. They opposed the Allied position because it was one of aggression. e. They opposed all war as being an obstacle to social reform.

Q: Why were those in mainstream society troubled by the influx of new immigrants in the 1880s? a. They feared that immigrants would try to assimilate into American society. b. They worried that they would not be able to do their jobs as well anymore. c. They feared that the government would give immigrants equal rights. d. They felt that too many immigrants would take up land in the West. e. They worried that the new immigrants could not be assimilated.

Q: In the 1850s, the most important example of literary abolitionism was __________. a. Uncle Tom's Cabin b. The Impending Crisis of the South c. Tom Sawyer d. Up from Slavery e. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

Q: Industrialization after 1815 altered the manufacturing system in the United States by __________. a. immediately creating a need for large factories with many workers b. increasing production in the factory and decreasing it in the home c. increasing the need for female labor d. eliminating the need for foreign equipment and technology e. becoming more efficient, therefore using fewer raw materials

Q: For many Americans, the main appeal of the Enlightenment was its focus on __________. a. searching for useful, practical knowledge b. reviving interest in classical education c. defending traditional Christian beliefs d. pure scientific research e. achieving a classless society

Q: During the Truman administration, __________. a. voting discrimination against African Americans came to an end b. public schools were desegregated in many states c. an order for desegregation of the armed forces was issued d. Congress established a permanent civil rights commission e. the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department was weakened

Q: Wilson's treatment of Mexico was similar to Roosevelt's treatment of Colombia because both men demonstrated __________. a. paternalistic condescension in their dealings with Latin American governments b. abhorrence for people of color in their dealings with Latin American governments c. their inexperience with foreign affairs in their dealings with Mexico and Colombia, respectively d. their fear of European interference in their dealings with Mexico and Colombia, respectively e. their respect and dependence on their neighbors in their dealings with Mexico and Colombia, respectively

Q: Late-nineteenth-century immigrants predominantly __________. a. came seeking religious freedom b. were highly skilled craftsmen c. were older males d. settled in the Midwestern region e. already knew someone in the United States

Q: Which famous writer wrote proslavery polemics? a. Edgar Allan Poe b. Henry David Thoreau c. Herman Melville d. James Russell Lowell e. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Q: Which of the following groups was initially a primary source of labor for the textile mills? a. young single women b. young single men c. children d. immigrants e. African Americans

Q: Which tribe was most successful at resisting conversion to Catholicism? a. Pueblos b. Coahuiltecans c. Aztecs d. Pimas e. Conchos

Q: The Truman administration failed to pass any civil rights legislation because __________. a. Truman himself secretly worked to defeat its passage b. most people said the civil rights movement was a communist plot c. black voters had traditionally backed the Republican Party d. southern politicians managed to block the legislation e. controversial social change during the Cold War could be divisive and dangerous

Q: What were the tests of Wilson's "moral diplomacy"? a. When a cabinet member was caught in a financial scandal, Wilson's pride in his morality was tested. b. The exorbitant costs of moral reforms, such as Prohibition, tested Wilson's resolve to continue "purity" reforms. c. The conflicts of Mexico and World War I demonstrated that U.S. morality would not keep militarism under control. d. The Hawaiian and Philippine annexations demonstrated to the world that U.S. morality did not actually exist. e. In his attitudes toward African Americans and their civil rights, Wilson demonstrated that "morality" did not mean equality.

Q: Jane Addams was the founder of __________. a. the South End House in Boston b. the Henry Street Settlement in New York c. Golden Home in San Francisco d. Hull House in Chicago e. the Neighborhood Guild in New York

Q: Between 1856 and 1860, the explosive tensions between __________ led to a growing sense that the two groups could no longer coexist in the same nation. a. blacks and whites b. northerners and southerners c. immigrants and native-born citizens d. farmers and factory owners e. southerners and former slaves

Q: The great showplace for early American industrialization was __________. a. New York, New York b. Boston, Massachusetts c. Lowell, Massachusetts d. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania e. Burlington, Vermont

Q: Which region was considered part of the eighteenth-century Spanish borderlands? a. Georgia b. western Pennsylvania c. the Shenandoah Valley d. the Ohio Valley e. Florida

Q: In the 1950s, Americans experienced a contradiction in __________. a. their apparent obsession with technology but reluctance to embrace television b. their growing commitment to organized religion while they had less time for church activities c. moving to the suburbs yet longing for the excitement and opportunities found in cities d. saying they feared the onset of another Great Depression but refusing to spend the money needed to bolster the economy e. denouncing the Soviet Union for human rights violations while discriminating against African Americans

Q: Why did Roosevelt announce the Roosevelt Corollary? a. to gain power in the Pacific region b. to keep European powers out of Latin America c. to change the Monroe Doctrine d. to forgive Latin American national debts e. to gain access to Panama for the canal construction

Q: __________ wrote the book Looking Backward, which described a future of socialism in America. a. Walter Rauschenbusch b. Edward Bellamy c. Richard Frick d. Jane Addams e. Henry George

Q: In the presidential election of 1856, the Republican Party's platform endorsed __________. a. popular sovereignty in the territories b. prohibiting slavery in the territories c. Fillmore, who opposed Buchanan d. secession from the United States e. Buchanan, who opposed Fillmore

Q: Under the __________ system, manufacturers provided raw materials to people in their own homes and then picked up the finished products for distribution. a. finishing-off system b. mass production system c. piecework system d. putting-out system e. cottage industry system

Q: The first permanent European settlement in what would become the United States was __________. a. Jamestown b. Boston c. St. Augustine d. Plymouth e. Roanoke

Q: Why did the government increase federal funding for science education in 1957? a. The country was starting to favor science over religion. b. The country became more interested in electronic gadgets. c. It was responding to the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik. d. It was responding to critics of "progressive" education. e. It was responding to working-class criticisms of public education.

Q: The signing of the Taft-Katsura Agreement was strategically important for the United States because it gave the United States free rein in __________. a. Korea b. China c. Japan d. Asia e. the Philippines

Q: As a young lawyer, what did Clarence Darrow believe? a. Aiding the poor would interfere with the evolutionary process. b. Capitalism must be overthrown. c. Without poverty, there would be no crime. d. Capital punishment is essential to the maintenance of civil order. e. A "single tax" on corporate profits would solve all social problems.

Q: In the Pottawatomie Massacre, __________. a. John Brown and his followers killed five Native Americans in a land dispute b. a mob of angry settlers attacked and killed five escaped slaves c. an escaped slave killed a family of five white settlers d. John Brown killed eight abolitionists in Kansas e. John Brown and his followers killed five proslavery settlers in cold blood

Q: The South became the world's greatest producer of cotton because __________. a. railroads crisscrossed the south, providing needed transportation b. little competition arose in other locations of the world c. fertile land was available in the "green belts" of the South d. the federal government gave generous farm subsidies e. the cotton gin had a tremendous impact on production

Q: The "middle ground" was an area __________. a. where most of the fighting between whites and Indians occurred b. where whites and Indians interacted on an approximately equal basis c. inhabited by renegades, half-breeds, and runaway slaves d. of metaphorical stasis, symbolic of a culture that was part European and part Indian e. designated by treaty as a demilitarized zone

Q: People's attitude toward organized religion in the 1950s was __________. a. incredibly positive, and religious affiliation boomed b. negative, and churches lost large numbers of members c. that it was not as important in their lives as in the lives of previous generations d. that it was the only way to deal with the emotional stress of the Cold War e. that it was something they simply did not have time for as life became more hectic

Q: In what way was the construction of the Panama Canal, as Roosevelt said, "the most important action in foreign affairs"? a. It gave the United States control over world trade. b. It made the United States the world's most powerful country. c. It kept the United States out of involvement in World War I. d. It solidified American influence in Latin America. e. It gave the United States power over developments in Europe.

Q: According to Henry George, __________. a. modern society was perfect b. there was a wide gulf between rich and poor c. little could be done to alleviate the problems of the poor d. a graduated income tax would solve the nation's problems e. the poor in America were making real progress

Q: A smaller conflict over slavery, which prefigured the American Civil War, was fought in which state during the late 1850s?a. Missourib. Kansasc. South Carolinad. Tennesseee. Texas

Q: Canals in early nineteenth-century America __________. a. linked the Atlantic coastal cities to the lakes and rivers of the interior b. were very profitable c. competed successfully with railroads d. were financed through federal and state government funds e. led to spectacular canal boat accidents that claimed many lives

Q: Backcountry communities __________. a. rarely settled beyond the effective authority of colonial governments b. lived harmoniously with Native Americans with no need for military assistance from colonial governments c. rejected formal religious institutions and embraced a spiritual system similar to Native Americans d. were ethnically diverse rather than ethnic enclaves e. developed a culture with a deeply rooted moral character

Q: What was a drawback of suburban life for the family? a. Many families were torn apart by pressure to conform to suburban expectations. b. Many young families had to share their homes with extended family members. c. Many parents were too focused on earning money to make time for family bonding. d. Many people had only infrequent contact with extended family members. e. Many children received little attention from their hardworking parents.

Q: America's role in international affairs was changing in the years immediately before the outbreak of World War I because the United States __________. a. was becoming more of a world power b. had become the most powerful country in the world c. was no longer an imperialist power d. was no longer a colonial power e. was becoming more and more isolated

Q: The social Darwinists __________. a. believed the laws of nature applied to society b. were active reformers in the late nineteenth century c. had an overwhelming influence on American society d. raised important questions about the conditions of society e. stressed society's responsibility to aid the poor

Q: Nativists disliked Irish and German immigrants because so many of the immigrants were __________. a. communists b. illiterate c. Jewish d. Roman Catholic e. atheists

Q: The most spectacular engineering achievement of the young United States was the __________. a. Cumberland Trail b. Erie Canal c. Intercoastal Waterway d. Baltimore Turnpike e. the Washington Monument

Q: The first large group of German immigrants moved to America seeking __________. a. free land b. religious tolerance c. an opportunity to become wealthy farmers d. markets for their craft products e. work to bring their families from Europe

Q: How did the drive-in culture of the 1950s change the way America shopped? a. People shopped less often because traffic became a problem. b. Consumers began driving across state lines to avoid sales taxes. c. Consumers began buying products in bulk. d. Delivery services replaced shopping excursions. e. Shopping centers and malls were built all over the country.

Q: How can Wilson's reaction to the sinking of the Lusitania best be characterized? a. conciliatory diplomacy b. forceful diplomacy c. pessimistic diplomacy d. minimal military e. forceful military

Q: W. E. B. Du Bois __________. a. supported the views of Booker T. Washington b. advocated revolutionary tactics for African Americans c. was popular with African American and white society d. believed educational advancement was the key to success e. was the author of the Atlanta Compromise

Q: The political party known especially for its anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic philosophy was the __________. a. Free-Soil Party b. Whig Party c. Know-Nothing Party d. Democratic Party e. Liberty Party

Q: Which of the following forms of transportation predominated before the 1820s and 1830s? a. national road systems b. canal systems c. steamboats d. flatboats e. railroads

Q: The largest group of white, non-English immigrants to the colonies was the __________. a. Dutch b. Germans c. Swedish d. Scots-Irish e. French

Q: The new American suburbs of the 1950s __________. a. were too expensive for most young couples b. allowed only upper-class inhabitants c. were mainly inhabited by working-class families d. showed a surprising occupational diversity among inhabitants e. were typically open to all races and religions

Q: Wilson hurt his chances to get the Treaty of Versailles ratified __________. a. through his failure to ask for the American people's support b. because he was unwilling to compromise with opponents c. by working too closely with isolationist opponents d. because he did not work hard enough to convince opponents e. through his vague and hostile demands of his supporters

Q: Booker T. Washington __________. a. believed African Americans should fight for equal rights b. had little hope for the future of African Americans in American society c. believed that self-help was the best plan for African Americans d. emphasized the importance of higher education for African Americans e. founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

Q: The Ostend Manifesto was a memorandum that accused the Pierce administration of __________. a. accepting bribes from southern plantation owners b. conspiring with northerners to make the United States a "free-soil wasteland" c. wanting to punish the working class through taxation d. wanting to create a "Caribbean slave empire" by annexing Cuba e. discriminating against recent immigrants through unfair voting laws

Q: The first great federal transportation project was the __________. a. building of the National Road b. Lancaster Turnpike c. Erie Canal d. transcontinental railroad e. Union and Pacific Railroad

Q: The factor most responsible for the growth of the colonial population between 1700 and 1770 was the __________. a. natural reproduction of colonial families b. great wave of immigration during that period c. program of forced migration instituted by the monarchy d. dramatic upsurge in the importation of slaves e. intermarriage between settlers and Native Americans

Q: A change in labor practice that came about in the postwar era was that most people __________. a. started getting less than two weeks of vacation each year b. began working less than 40 hours each week c. began working on Saturdays until noon d. started working on Sundays after noon e. sent their teenagers to work for more disposable income

Q: What was one of Wilson's major goals at the Paris Peace Conference? a. to punish Germany for starting the war b. to compensate the Allies for their great losses c. to found a League of Nations to enforce peace d. to bring the new Russian government to the peace table e. to collect awards and accolades from France

Q: A major change in the college curriculum of the late nineteenth century was to __________. a. train students for the ministry b. emphasize classical curriculum c. have students follow a rigorous, prescribed curriculum d. stress the practical application of education e. eliminate electives from the curriculum

Q: In order to gain southern support for the Kansas-Nebraska Act, Stephen Douglas had to add an amendment explicitly repealing the __________. a. Wilmot Proviso b. Missouri Compromise c. Compromise of 1850 d. Bill of Rights e. new Fugitive Slave Law

Q: The last resistance of Indians to white settlement in the Old Northwest came in 1831-1832 under Chief __________. a. Tecumseh b. Sitting Bull c. Osceola d. Black Hawk e. Rain-in-Face

Q: What is meant by this statement: "The elements that sparked a powerful sense of nationalism among colonists dispersed over a huge territory would not be evident for a long time"? a. The colonists tended to dislike the colonists in regions other than their own. b. The colonies were getting very close to forming an independent country. c. The colonies were still separate and had very little to do with each other. d. The colonies had expanded to a huge area of the country. e. The colonists saw themselves as English first and Americans second.

Q: The economic abundance of the 1950s __________. a. benefited all geographic regions of the country equally b. virtually erased unemployment in the United States c. did not benefit the steel industry and agriculture as much as other industries d. had very little effect on the American public outside of the upper class e. led to a surprising racial equality

Q: As a result of their participation in the war effort, African Americans __________. a. faced even worse discrimination in America b. became more accepting of the conditions they faced c. found greater acceptance of their place in American society d. were more and more inclined to fight discrimination e. generally were allowed to remain in Europe

Q: What was a major difference between northern and southern schools? a. More students attended school in the South. b. All southern states had compulsory school attendance laws. c. Few southern states had compulsory school attendance laws. d. Northern states provided segregated school systems. e. Southern schools provided better curricula.

Q: In the Kansas-Nebraska Act, Stephen Douglas attempted to set up territorial government on the basis of __________. a. the Compromise of 1850 b. Free-Soil ideology c. congressional approval or disapproval of slavery d. presidential approval or disapproval of slavery e. popular sovereignty

Q: The __________ nation was an amalgam of peoples of both Native American and African origins. a. Algonquin b. Seminole c. Cherokee d. Apache e. Choctaw

Q: Why is the Navigation Act in 1660 considered the most important piece of imperial legislation drafted before the American Revolution? a. It allowed the development of the colonial navy into one of the most powerful in the world. b. It had an enormous impact on the way goods were taxed in the English colonies, which ultimately led the colonists to revolt. c. It allowed colonists to trade with the Dutch, which eventually caused the British to retaliate with acts that sparked the American Revolution. d. It established France and Holland as allies of the colonies and enemies with England. e. Its passage directly led to the Boston Tea Party, which was the first act of rebellion by the American colonists.

Q: Which of the following was an important stimulus to American economic growth in the late 1940s and early 1950s? a. direct government aid to industrial development b. the surplus of consumer goods left over from World War II c. heavy government spending during the Cold War d. the American public's debt that remained from overspending in previous decades e. huge exports to foreign countries in Europe and Asia

Q: Which of the following was a major effect of the labor shortage caused by the war? a. a dramatic rise in wages for all workers b. a great migration of southern African Americans to northern cities c. a worsening in government-labor relations d. a decrease in the number of working women e. the construction of more factories

Q: Public schools in the 1870s and 1880s __________. a. placed greater value on educating females b. vigorously stressed discipline and routine c. ignored moral, religious education d. emphasized egalitarianism between students and teachers e. were considered better than factories by most students

Q: The term "second-party system" describes __________. a. the splinter parties of the 1840s and 1850s b. the vigorous competition between Whigs and Democrats c. the creation of a new third political party d. the political party not in power in government e. a total shift in American politics

Q: In response to encroachment by white settlers, the Cherokee __________. a. rejected their native culture and assimilated into white society b. voluntarily ceded their lands to the American government c. created a military alliance with the Creek and Seminole d. forcibly resisted using their military forces e. adopted a policy of accommodation

Q: What was a difference between the rights of women in the Chesapeake region and those of women in New England? a. Women in both regions had few rights compared to their fathers and husbands. b. Women in New England had more rights because there were more women there and they had greater strength as a community. c. Women in New England had fewer rights because the colonists there came from stricter and more traditional backgrounds. d. Women in the Chesapeake region tended to have fewer rights because the planter class had more restrictions on the roles of women in society. e. Women in New England had fewer rights because the women there tended to live much shorter lives than those in the Chesapeake region.

Q: Why did some people criticize American suburban life? a. They accused suburban families of snobbery, since only the wealthy could live there. b. They thought the houses were built with substandard materials and craftsmanship. c. They disliked the conformity and uniformity of suburban life. d. They were afraid that a mass exodus to the suburbs would harm city economies. e. They worried about the pollution generated by suburban automobile commuters.

Q: During World War I, the War Industries Board __________. a. controlled the entire war mobilization effort b. was led by Herbert Hoover c. oversaw the production of America's factories d. failed to lead American industry effectively e. was concerned with building new munitions plants

Q: Which of the following was a founder of the National American Woman Suffrage Association? a. Rheta Childe Dorr b. John H. Kellogg c. Susan B. Anthony d. Charlotte Gilman e. Rebecca Ablowitz

Q: The most outrageous component of the Compromise of 1850 was the __________. a. admission of California as a free state b. opening of New Mexico and Utah territories to slavery under popular sovereignty c. reduction of Texas to its present boundaries d. enactment of the new Fugitive Slave Law e. prohibition of slavery in the District of Columbia